Creamy Chicken and Garlic Pasta

4.67 from 6 votes

Creamy Chicken and Garlic Pasta

This Creamy Chicken and Garlic Pasta is just the right amount of special featuring bacon, spinach, and seasoned chicken in a delicious garlicky cream sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 695kcal

Author: Sarah Baumeister

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. olive oil divided
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter divided
1 medium onion thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves minced
2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
4 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
1 lb. pasta any shape
1 cup pasta water reserved from cooked pasta
1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated

Instructions

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place into a mixing bowl. Add onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and 1 tbsp. olive oil. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
In a large, deep skillet, heat remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil on medium-high heat.
Place chicken pieces in skillet and brown until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
While chicken is cooking, in a large pot, cook your pasta according to the packaging instructions. Be sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
Remove chicken to a plate to the side. Reduce heat to medium and to the same pan, melt butter. At diced onions and cook for 5 minutes until they soften and start to brown.
Stir in minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
Add pasta water and deglaze pan, scraping up any browned bits as they have lots of flavor.
To the pan, add heavy cream and freshly grated parmesan cheese and whisk to create a sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken.
Add cooked bacon pieces and chopped spinach.
Stir and cook until spinach is wilted, about a minute.
Add cooked pasta and chicken pieces and give it a final stir to coat everything in the creamy sauce.

Nutrition